TOMB RAIDER 2 - Starring Lara Croft
by saturn95
Summary: Lara's work in the field of archaeology leads her on another globe-trotting adventure in search of the Dagger of Xian, an artifact long-said to possess the power of the dragon. After arriving in China to recover it, Lara soon discovers that she is not the only one in search of the dagger and she must do everything that is necessary to reach it before it gets into the wrong hands.
1. Prologue - Ancient China

Prologue – Ancient China

The battle between the emperor's army and the Tibetan warrior monks raged all day for the past ten days. It was one of numerous conflicts that have raged across the land for the past few years, bringing chaos and political instability between the two opposing parties. Echoing through the blood-red evening sky were the sounds of blades clashing and people dying, as well as the slicing of human flesh in many one-on-battles. But the emperor's army knew that this battle would be unlike any of the others that have been fought in the past, for the emperor had a radical new trick up his dirty sleeve, one which they thought would certainly bring the Tibetan rebels down to their knees.

Meanwhile, in an empty field near a newly built section of what would later be known as the Great Wall of China, the emperor pulled out his secret weapon, a dagger that had forever been rumoured to possess the power of the dragon. However, the only way he could ever gain its power was to drive the blade into his heart, and he was well aware of it too. Despite the idea of sacrificing his own life, it seemed like the most reasonable method of gaining control of all of China. After a few moments, the emperor took a deep breath and stabbed himself in the chest, crying out in pain as blood poured down his body. His screams caused a nearby flock of black crows to flee for the sky, which caught the attention of one of the guards in the nearby guard tower. Silence soon took over the entire landscape as the emperor's body went under a startling transformation. Then, in a blinding ball of white light, a sinister reptilian growl was heard and standing in the place of the emperor's mutilated body was a towering golden dragon with large teeth and large fiery reptilian eyes. This was the signal for the emperor's army to attack.

* * *

The monks heard the screams and shouting of the emperor's army and immediately confirmed their worst fears. They immediately began to retreat, but realized that they were not as safe as they thought. Flying through the air were thousands of arrows launched by the army in an effort to wipe out most of the rebellion. Most of the shots were unsuccessful, though a good percentage of them managed to injure and even kill the unlucky monks that found themselves in the middle of the open battlefield. One monk found himself slumped against a wooden cart full of battle supplies as an arrow plunged its way into his left knee. While he struggled to cope with the intense pain of his injury, the rest of the rebellion became aware of an even greater threat as the ground shook beneath them.

Back over by the wall, the emperor's army started running for their lives as their plan to take over China started to backfire. The dragon was going after both opposing forces by unleashing a torrent of fire against everyone that stood in his way. Struggling to control the giant beast, the emperor's army realized that they made a huge mistake. Fire started to rage through the grassy fields and the stench of burning flesh filled the battle-tainted air. Meanwhile in one of the nearby guardhouses, one of the surviving guards of the emperor's army gained a clear shot of the dragon's head. Without hesitation, the guard pulled out his bow and loaded it with one arrow before pulling back the string. Once he let go of the string, the arrow darted through the air before striking the dragon's large head a few seconds later. The dragon reacted to the strike by jerking its head violently and became temporarily stunned.

* * *

Back on the ground, the monk with the injured knee feared for his own life as he watched the dragon walk towards him. It was not long before the large reptilian beast was towering over him and his vision was starting to fade from the amount of blood he lost from his injury. Suddenly, the monk noticed something peculiar about the dragon's chest. Though his vision was failing him, he was able to discern a mysterious glowing point of light that raised his curiosity. The dragon lowered its neck for another fire attack against the emperor's army, unaware of the monk's presence below him. With the last bit of strength he had, the injured monk stood on both of his feet and reached for the magical light and saw the Dagger of Xian with its beautifully crafted dragon handle. Pulling the dagger from the dragon's chest, an unexpected thing started to occur. The dragon started roaring in pain as a strange orange luminescence erupted from its open chest wound and merged itself into the dagger. The power of the dragon had left the emperor's transformed body, leaving him powerless and sickly.

With its last breath, the dragon breathed out fire and seared the injured monk to death before falling to ground with a large thud that shook the earth. One of the surviving members of the emperor's army lowered his bow as he watched the skin of the dragon melt before his eyes. A few moments later, the only thing remaining was the dragon's seared carcass. The Chinese soldier lowered his head and started to weep, for he knew that emperor's army had been decimated. The emperor was dead and the monks celebrated their victory as twilight started to set in over the Chinese landscape.

* * *

As night fell over the landscape, the surviving monks recovered the magical dagger and headed towards a nearby underground temple. Using torches to light their path, the monks walked through the underground labyrinth for about an hour until they came across a mysterious red wooden door with a large circular golden symbol with two curved lines branching from the top and the bottom (representing the upper body and tail of a golden dragon). It was then that they knew they had were in the right place. The monk leading the way then reached for a metallic circular object and pressed it into the door, causing the middle of the door to rotate. All of the monks held their breath as the two wooden rings that made up the centre of the circle cleverly slowed down to line themselves up into a non-skewed curved line. Once the two wooden rings aligned to complete the pattern, the two wooden rings moved into the door, allowing a large metal bar to move horizontally through the middle of the golden ring to complete the large dragon symbol. The door opened into a hallway that was dimly illuminated by torches on both sides. At the end of the hallway was a medium-sized room where a small pedestal stood, the resting place of the magical Dagger of Xian.

With the dagger in his right hand, the leader of the group started his way down the hallway, but something seemed to be keeping him back. For some reason, he had the awful premonition that something bad was going to happen if he placed the dagger back into its rightful place. He turned around, but the others ushered him to continue forward and insisted that everything would be alright. The leader reluctantly made his way down the quiet hall and slowly approached the pedestal. A small golden dragon head with an open mouth marked the slot in which the dagger was to be placed. With the dagger in hand, the monk slowly slid the dagger into the dragon slot and a mysterious purple aura started filling the room. Then, a bright shaft of purple light erupted from the pedestal, causing the torches inside the temple to blow themselves out. The last thing the monk saw before his untimely demise was pure darkness before falling down a mysterious trapdoor and down a mysterious shaft.

After the strange turn of events, the survivors of the emperor's radical reign did not speak of them again. As decades turned into centuries and centuries turned into millennia, the magical dagger and the emperor that tried to use its power to conquer all of China were disregarded from the history books and became the stuff of myths and legends. In that same period of time, the Dagger of Xian remained locked inside the temple and its safety from the hands of evil remained assured…Or so it seemed.

* * *

**Hey everyone! Although I am in the midst of working on a story based on the first Tomb Raider game, I decided to get started on Tomb Raider 2 to keep my mind fresh with ideas. I apologize if this bothers you. I'm sure how often I will update this, but this will be the start of it. Let me know what you think of this so far! In the meantime, I wish all of you a Happy New Year :) The next chapter will start at Lara's house, so be sure to keep your eyes open!**

**saturn95**


	2. Croft Manor, 1997

Croft Manor, 1997

Lara woke up to the sound of birds chirping out on the large wooden balcony bordering her expansive bedroom. It was going to be another beautiful day and she could not wait to test out her new assault course, which had been in the works since the day after Christmas last year. It was springtime in the English countryside and the leaves on the trees were budding and growing everywhere. The sky was a beautiful blue and the morning sun was shining brightly through the windows. As Lara got out of bed, the first thing she did was walk out into the foyer to make her way down the grand staircase before walking down the left hallway and into her large kitchen. She then decided to make herself some breakfast.

In the last five and a half months, Lara had undergone several revelations, both with her fame as well as her fortune. This was largely due to her tremendous effort and success in the field of archaeology as the result of the many great discoveries she made during her gruelling, yet exciting adventure across the globe last year. She had since discovered ancient Incan ruins and a lost prehistoric valley buried deep in the heart of the Peruvian Andes, stunning Greco-Roman ruins and palaces in Greece, a magnificent underground temple complex in Egypt, and of course the one thing the all of these discoveries lead up to: the Lost City of Atlantis. Even though it had only been half a year since she stepped foot into the giant golden pyramid, Lara still could not get over the fact that Jacqueline Natla was the queen of Atlantis, the one nameless ruler in the legends that was said to have "betrayed the people of the great continent and abuse the power of the all-powerful Scion." Ever since her encounters with the ugly Atlantean creatures, especially the notorious 'doppelganger' and the humongous legless mutant, she still experienced horrifying nightmares about them her sleep. Even Natla herself still gave Lara the chills. The fact that she was _immortal_ made her question if she was somehow still alive. But after the huge explosion that rocked the island, it seemed very doubtful.

Lara had since written and published a book on her recent findings and discoveries to the general public (her largest book to date) and was praised for her outstanding contributions to the recovery of lost knowledge and history. She won several awards and was even recognized by many governments around the world for her superb contributions. However, there was still one question that remained unanswered from her adventure. _What was the Seventh Age?_ Natla had mentioned it during her trial with Tihocan and Qualopec that everything had to burn in order for it to begin. But what exactly did she mean by everything? What exactly was she trying to accomplish? Lara had since dived into countless volumes of old books, journals, and manuscripts to search for these answers, but was unsuccessful in her research. Lately, she found herself researching other ancient legends and myths to steer clear of driving herself insane, particularly those originating from Asia. It was her secret wish to have another exciting and suspenseful adventure that kept her going in her research, though she preferred to go outside and enjoy the fresh spring air.

Even Lara's house had undergone plenty of changes. The main hall that was once a ballroom and then a personal gym was once again a ballroom. Lara had furnished the large room with beautiful expensive carpet as well as knight statues and two large beautiful crystal chandeliers. She even had a professional sound system installed in the room that was connected to her stereo, which she would use to play some of her favourite tunes as well as listen to some of her favourite radio stations. The pool house, which was connected with the ballroom, was still very much the same, except for the fact that Lara finally had her long-awaited diving board installed. She also recently purchased a new television set to go in the music room, as well as a new fire place for the study area.

As Lara busied herself in the kitchen, she opened the windows above the sink to let in the fresh air from outside. Once she did that, Lara walked into the ballroom and decided to place a music disc in her stereo system. Searching through the nearby CD rack, she found the disk labelled _Venice Violins_ and placed it inside the CD player before pressing the play button. The beautiful classical melody soon filled the entire downstairs area and Lara went back into the kitchen to check her bacon while she got lost in the music. She was surprised to see Winston over by the oven chopping up potatoes.

"Good morning, Winston!" Lara said. "I didn't expect to see you up and about."

"I figured you could use some help with breakfast." Winston replied. "How do hash browns sound with the bacon?"

"I wasn't planning on it, but that actually does sound very good." Lara said. "I can't wait to try out my new assault course today."

"Today will be the perfect day for it too." Winston said. "It's supposed to be sunny and warm for much of the day, then it's supposed to rain later this evening."

"That's good." Lara said, pausing for a moment. "Today will be a good day to tend to the flowers in the garden as well. That reminds me…I still have to get the hedge bushes trimmed before they become overgrown."

"That sounds like a massive job." Winston said. "Shall I call the nearest landscaping company to have them trimmed?"

"Sure, but I'm not in a huge rush to get it done yet." Lara said. "I think another two weeks will be alright."

"Alright." Winston said. "Might I ask how your research is doing?"

"Nothing new for me to report today." Lara said. "Right now I'm just looking into other things that I could pursue in my future travels. I've been having the itch for another adventure lately, despite the gruelling business I dealt with last year."

"I'm sure someone out there will come to you for help in search for some other ancient relic." Winston said. "It's only a matter of time."

"I sure hope so." Lara replied. "My trophy room seems rather empty at the moment. I need some new relics to put on display."

* * *

After Lara and Winston ate their breakfast, Lara headed up to her luxurious master suite and took a quick shower before changing into one of her sporty outfits. She put on a pair of dark sweatpants as well as a black sports bra before tying her auburn hair into her trademark French braid. Once she was suited up to go outside, Lara headed down the stairs and made a quick visit to her trophy room where the Scion was displayed in one of the display cases located in the centre of the room. Although the powers and records that were once vested in the Scion had since vanished thanks to her own reckless deed (though it was for a good cause), the artefact was still in pristine condition, with the exception of a few chips and flaws that have since been fixed. Still, she wished that all of the information on the history of Atlantis was still there. Only then would she be able to discover what the Seventh Age was all about. But since there was nothing she could do about it, all Lara could think about was how much she needed another adventure to take her mind off of Atlantis and all of its lost secrets.

* * *

**Nothing quite like a relaxing spring day at Lara's mansion! While Lara is excited to try out her new assault course, she still regrets her seemingly deliberate destruction of the ancient records that were once vested inside the Scion, even though she did it to prevent Natla from infesting the world with Atlantean mutants. The only thing that will get her mind off of it is another adventure. What will the rest of the day bring for our favorite British female archaeologist? Stay tuned for the next chapter!**

**saturn95**


	3. A Surprise in the Mail

A Surprise in the Mail

"What a lovely day it is!" Lara said as she stepped out the front door of her mansion. The sound of running water could be heard from the large fish statue water fountain, making the outside atmosphere all the more tranquil and peaceful. The small hedge bushes in the expansive front yard were full of life. Butterflies were seen flying gracefully among the multi-coloured flora and greenery and birds were chirping and flying across the clear blue sky. Lara turned to her right and saw Winston standing under the stone archway that lead to the even more expansive backyard where the giant assault course had been set up. In his right hand were two walkie-talkies and in his left hand was a small timer.

"Are you timing me, Winston?" Lara asked as she took one of the small hand radios.

"Well, you did say you wanted a bit of a challenge, did you not?" Winston replied, giving Lara a slight smile.

"I guess I did, didn't I?" Lara said, smiling back. "Once I get to the starting point, I'll give you the signal to start the timer."

"Alright, Miss Croft." Winston said. "Ready whenever you are."

Lara started her long trek to the other end of the house through the backyard, admiring the splendour that was her assault course. Complete with climbable surfaces, challenging gaps to traverse, pools of water, and even a zip line, the gauntlet of obstacles was meant to push Lara to her physical limits. It stretched all the way along the backside of the manor and for much of the left side, making it the largest modification of the mansion since Lara took it over from her estranged aunt years ago. For as long as she could remember, her aunt had always forced her to be someone she did not want to be, someone who only cares about being at the top of the financial food chain. But Lara never really cared about luxurious lifestyle of upper-class British society, especially since her fateful experience in the Himalayas when her chartered plane crashed upon her return from a skiing trip almost nine years ago. Still, she enjoyed using her wealth to fund her deep interest in travelling the world to uncover lost treasures, as well as the other things in her life that made her happy.

As Lara neared the started point of the obstacle course behind the outside perimeter of the pool house close to the giant hedge maze, she took out her small radio and pressed the button to talk to Winston, who was waiting at the other end of the course.

"Alright, Winston. I'm ready." she said.

"Your time starts now." he replied.

Lara immediately ran up the wooden steps and onto the course passing the first small jump with ease. The second gap Lara came to was considerably wider, but she was able to make it across with a swift running jump. Once she reached the other side, Lara vaulted up onto the next block as the obstacle course became a little higher and more dangerous. From there, she made another running jump across a gap to another high wooden platform straight across the way and saw that that next jump was even larger yet. Lara knew that she would have to grab the ledge on the other side to make it across, otherwise she would have to start again. With one giant leap of faith, Lara soared through the air to the next platform and grabbed the edge of the next platform before pulling herself up. By now, Lara was standing outside of the ballroom and was getting closer to rounding the corner of the mansion.

"Well, I made it past those obstacles." she said catching her breath. "Now for the next part."

Looking forward, Lara was now overlooking a wooden slope that was connected to the platform she was standing on which lead down into a small pool of shallow water. On the other side of the pool was another tall wooden obstacle with a climbable frame nailed on the front. Lara slid down the wooden slope and jumped toward the climbable frame, but found herself landing in the water instead. Though she was still able to finish the course, she wished that she could have managed to grab hold of the wall. Nonetheless, she waded through the shallow and started climbing up to the top of the wooden obstacle before reaching her next challenge.

"Looks like I'll have to do some sideways somersault action here." Lara said. "I'll just have to be careful and prevent myself from falling off…Eh, no problem. I've done this before plenty of times."

Starting on the left side, Lara jumped across to a smaller platform that had a taller wooden structure just behind it to prevent Lara from cheating through the obstacle. After that, she did a sideways jump to another small platform to her right, then jumped to the next platform in front of her before making another sideways jump to the final platform to her left. Lara then slid down another slope and jumped over a sand pit towards another climbable wall. Instead of missing the wall, Lara was able to grab hold of the built-in grips and pull herself up to the top where she could see the outdoor balcony that was connected to her bedroom. She was now more than halfway through the assault course.

"I'm almost there!" she said, almost out of breath from all of the jumping she did. After a moment of catching her breath, she continued across a wooden bridge that took her to another platform that loomed over a deeper pool of water that continued around the corner of the house and past the kitchen windows. A large stone structure had been built over the midsection of the water pool to create an underwater passage in which Lara had to swim through in order to reach another climbable wall. She quickly jumped into the water and started swimming her way through the passage as fast as she could. It was not long before Lara emerged on the other side and climbed up into the shallow water next to the last climbing obstacle. She slowly climbed herself out of the water and made her way for the very top where a zip line was waiting for her. Once Lara reached the top, she looked straight across and saw Winston standing over by one of the trees over by the large ivy-covered wall that separated the backyard from the front. She was almost to the end.

"This is it." Lara said as she grabbed the zip line and zoomed her way towards the finish line. Once the she neared the end of the line, Lara dropped down to the ground and ran towards Winston, who had already stopped the time on the timer.

"So, Winston." Lara said. "How did I do?"

"Three minutes and twenty-seven seconds." he replied. "Not bad for your first try."

"Yeah, I guess." Lara said. "But perhaps I could have been faster."

"Don't stress too much over it. I know you can do better than that." Winston said. "Would like some lemonade to quench your thirst, Miss Croft?"

"Yes, that would be splendid! Thank you, Winston!" Lara replied. "I think I feel like relaxing in a chair underneath the warm sun for a little bit. But first, I think I'll change into some dry clothes."

* * *

Lara and Winston were both relaxing and sipping on fresh lemonade in lawn chairs which they set up over by the front door of the mansion next to a small table where they set their glasses. It was just a little after noon when Lara and Winston heard the sound of a car driving up to the large front gate of the mansion. Lara looked from her reclining position and saw a black car with two people getting out.

"Looks like we have visitors." Lara said. "I'll go open the gate for them."

"Oh, that must be Father Patrick and Charles Kane." Winston said. "I was expecting them to come sometime today."

"Why didn't you tell me that earlier?" Lara said.

"It must've slipped my mind." Winston replied. "Sorry about that."

"Not to worry, Winston." Lara replied. "I'll go let them in."

Lara walked down the manor's extensive driveway and walked up to the gate where she met Father Patrick and Charles Kane. They both greeted Lara with a welcome smile.

"Father Patrick! Charles Kane! What a pleasant surprise!" she said.

"It's good to see you again, Lara!" Father Patrick said. "How have things been going lately?"

"They've been going." Lara replied. "I still haven't found the information I've been looking for, but I've been researching other things lately, particularly ancient stories coming from Asia."

"Well, that's great to hear." Father Patrick replied. As a priest working with the Croft family, Father Bram Patrick Dunstan was one of Lara's old friends and, like Winston, stuck beside Lara as she grew up. Although he knew Lara for almost her entire life, he did not realize Lara's passion for adventure until she was a teenager. Before Lara went on her adventure with Werner Von Croy (her former mentor), her curiosity lead her to stowaway aboard Father Patrick's hired boat going to an island off the coast of Ireland called the Black Isle where strange occurrences were reported. It was on that stormy night when Father Patrick discovered Lara wandering underground and not back at Winston's old home sleeping in bed. Although frustrated by Lara's 'defiance', they found themselves being chased by strange monsters and demons and they quickly worked together to find a way off the island. Lara ended up saving Father Patrick's life after he was confronted by a Demon Horseman who threatened to kill both of them for trespassing on his property by simply reading out his name from an old Bestiary she found in an underground labyrinth. From that point on, Father Patrick had become extremely fond of Lara. Without her, he probably would have been dead years ago.

"Would you be willing to let us in, Lara?" Charles Kane asked.

"Yes, of course." Lara replied, going over to the button next to the large gate.

Charles Kane was another one of Lara's old friends and used to be a history teacher over at Wimbledon, where Lara attended school for eight years. In that time, he knew that there was a lot of potential with Lara, since she had already proven to be an exemplary student both in her academics as well as her willingness and enthusiasm to learn about the past. Lately, him and Lara often mentioned of planning a trip to find the Spear of Destiny (also known as the Spear of Longinus), a legendary Christian relic identified in folklore with the spear that pierced the side of Christ (John 19:34) nearly two thousand years ago. Occult legend states that whoever claims this spear and understands its occult significance holds the destiny of the world in his hands. According to Houston Stewart Chamberlain, British-born propagandist for anti-Semitism and the German philosophy of an Aryan master race, this spear was claimed by Constantine the Great, Justinian, Charles Martel, Charlemagne, and various German emperors, all men of destiny. With Lara's recent success in discovering the Scion of Atlantis, Charles Kane believed Lara could find anything.

Once the gate was open, Lara guided Father Patrick and Charles Kane up to the front door, where Winston greeted them and led them inside the foyer of the mansion.

"I never get sick of looking around at the inside of your mansion." Charles Kane said. "I just love what you've done to the place since your aunt passed it down to you."

"Quite frankly, I didn't think she would let me have the mansion to begin with." Lara replied. "She tried raising me into someone that I never felt comfortable being, and she knew it too. But then again, I don't think she had a choice as to who she would give the mansion to. After all, she never had children of her own, which is probably why she tried raising me as her little 'princess'."

"I never really understood the way your aunt thought." Winston said. "It's a shame that she never even bothered to come visit you in the nine years since she gave you the keys to the house."

"Oh, well." Lara said. "At least my parents supported my interests growing up." she turned over to the two guests. "Would you guys like something to drink? There's some iced tea and some fresh lemonade that Winston made not too long ago."

"I think I'll have some lemonade." Father Patrick said.

"That does sound very quenching." Charles Kane said. "I'll have some lemonade as well."

* * *

A few minutes later, Lara and everyone else were sitting at the large dining table in the expansive kitchen area talking about some of the recent events that have taken place in their lives while sipping on lemonade and iced tea. Suddenly, they heard the doorbell ring at the front door.

"I wonder who that could be." Winston said.

"I'll go check and see who it is." Lara said. "I'll be right back."

Lara excused herself from the table and walked out of the kitchen and into the foyer before opening the door. It was the mailman.

"Hi, are you Miss Croft?" said the man, who looked as though he was in his early twenties.

"Why, yes I am." Lara replied.

"I have some envelopes for you." he said. "I saw that the front gate was open, so I figured I could just hand deliver them to you."

"Oh, why thank you so much!" she replied, taking the stack of envelopes. "Lovely weather today, don't you think?"

"Yes." the man replied. "By the way, your yard looks amazing!"

"Why, thank you." Lara replied.

After a brief conversation, Lara walked back into the kitchen where Winston, Father Patrick, and Charles Kane had continued the conversation they were having earlier. They all saw Lara walk into the room.

"What was that all about?" Charles Kane asked.

"It was the mailman." Lara replied. "He saw that the front gate was open and decided to hand-deliver our mail to us. Apparently, he is a huge fan of my work."

"Who wouldn't be?" Father Patrick said. "What you've done in the field of archaeology in the past few years is just absolutely astounding."

Lara smiled as she turned her attention to the stack of envelopes that was in her hands.

"So what did we get in the mail today?" Winston asked.

"Nothing exciting by the looks of it." Lara replied. "Let's see here…Bills…bills…junk mail…junk mail…more bills…unknown…wait a second…" Lara picked up the last white envelope she threw down and examined it. "What is this?"

"What does it say?" Charles asked.

"I don't know." Lara replied. "It's addressed to me, but there's no return address…"

"That's strange." Winston said. "What's inside?"

"That's what I'm about to find out." Lara said as she ripped open the envelope and revealed its contents. Inside was a single folded piece of paper with messy handwriting on it. She unfolded the letter and started reading it.

_Dear Lara,_

_Pardon the mysterious circumstances surrounding this message, but I have something important to bring to your attention concerning the possibility of another profound discovery in the field of archaeology. Me and my men have recently come across an underground labyrinth under the Great Wall where we have discovered an ancient door believed to be the entrance of the Temple of Xian, which according to ancient Chinese legend, is the final resting place of the Dagger of Xian, an artefact said to possess the power of the dragon. I assume you have read the legend, but in case you haven't I suggest that you do some research on it before you decide to investigate this on your own. I have enclosed a set of coordinates for reaching the temple entrance in case you decide to take on this offer. If so, I wish you the best of luck. Should you find a way of opening this mysterious door, it would be of grave importance to us. My only advice to you is to stay on your toes once you enter the labyrinth, for it seems there are plenty of dangers to be wary of, some of which we may have yet to discover._

_Sincerely,_

_Anonymous_

"This seems rather suspicious." Lara said, showing the letter to the others. "Why would the person who wrote this letter choose to remain anonymous?"

"Maybe it's a hoax." Charles said. "There's no name on the letter, so there shouldn't be any reason to trust whoever wrote it, especially if it's about an undiscovered temple.

"But then again, hardly anyone has heard of the Dagger of Xian, except for the lucky few who have managed to come across it in their research." Lara said. "I myself being one of those individuals."

"So Lara, what exactly is the legend of the Dagger of Xian?" Father Patrick asked.

"Well, according to the legend, there was a huge battle between a group of Tibetan warrior monks and the emperor's army that took place thousands of years ago." Lara said. "The monks were supposedly fighting against the tyranny of the emperor and his constant threats of taking over all of China, since they weren't being treated fairly by the emperor. It was during the last battle when the emperor seized the Dagger of Xian and decided to unleash its power against the rebellion, but the only way he could do that was if he stabbed himself in the heart with the dagger, and that is exactly what he did."

"So what happened after he stabbed himself?" Winston asked.

"After the emperor stabbed himself, he transformed into an enormous fire-breathing dragon in hopes that he would take down the rebellion with this new power. However, because the power was so great, he was unable to control how he used this power. As a result, the 'dragon emperor' as he was referred, turned against _everyone _that got in his way, including his own army, which eventually lead to his ultimate downfall. According to the legend, while the dragon was momentarily stunned by an arrow shot to the head, the Tibetan monks were able to find the glowing dagger in the dragon's chest and remove it, causing the 'dragon emperor' to lose his power. The heat from the dragon's fire belly caused his skin and every one of his internal organs to melt away, leaving nothing more than a large bony carcass. By then, the emperor's army had significantly reduced and the Tibetan monks eventually prevailed and won the battle. They celebrated their victory by locking the Dagger of Xian away in an underground temple, where it was never to be seen or have its powers fall into the wrong hands ever again."

"Wow." said Charles Kane. "So the writer of this letter claims they have found the entrance to this temple?"

"I guess so." Lara said. "It's been rumoured for years that the Dagger of Xian is in fact buried underneath the Great Wall, but no one has ever been able to find it to this very day."

"Do you think that whoever wrote this letter could be telling the truth?" Winston asked.

"There's only one way to find out." Lara said, taking out the coordinates that were buried inside the envelope. "It's time I paid a visit to China."

* * *

**At last, Lara is about to find herself on another one of her amazing journeys across the globe! Now she has the perfect excuse to get her mind off of the events that occurred in her previous adventure. What will she discover upon reaching her destination? More importantly, is the information in the letter she received really true, or is it a hoax? Stay tuned to find out (though I'm sure most of you already know what will happen!) :)**

**Charles Kane and Father Patrick were characters which first appeared in Tomb Raider: Chronicles, but never really played a huge part in any of the other games. I decided to include them in the dialogue to not only make the plot more interesting, but also to tie in the other games in a way that makes the overall plot of each of the classic Tomb Raider games relevant to one another. Not only that, but I felt that these characters were underused and worthy of expanding upon. Let me know what you think. I look forward to your reviews!**

**saturn95**


End file.
